Overview

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering offers master's and doctoral-level degrees in computer science and engineering. In addition, a graduate certificate program in information assurance and security is offered. These programs emphasize student involvement in research programs and projects, many of which are supported by government agencies or are collaborative efforts with local industries. Current research emphasizes work in multiagent systems, computer security and information assurance, forensic computing, artificial intelligence, networks, and database systems. The M.S. and M.E. degrees are designed to provide a strong foundation for pursuing careers in the computer and information systems industry. The Ph.D. degree prepares graduates for careers in industrial research and university-level teaching and research. The graduate certificate program in information assurance and security is designed to provide information professionals with the background and knowledge needed for management of computer security and information assurance. Additional information on current research projects, detailed course outlines, and other aspects of the graduate program may be found on the departmental Web site, www.cse.sc.edu. While the department regularly offers courses through the college's distance education program, APOGEE, prospective students should not expect to be able to earn any degree solely using APOGEE courses.

Admissions

In addition to the admission requirements of The Graduate School, applicants for the graduate certificate program in information assurance and security are expected to have a baccalaureate degree in computer science, computer engineering, or a related field with at least a 3.00 GPA in the last 60 hours of study for the degree and a satisfactory GRE score. In addition, they must have completed courses in data structures and algorithms, operating systems, database management systems, discrete mathematics, linear algebra, and probability and statistics. Students enrolled in other graduate degree programs at USC are automatically eligible to pursue the certificate as long as they have taken the prerequisite courses.

The admissions requirements for the master's and Ph.D. programs in computer science and engineering are essentially the same, although the Ph.D. program places greater emphasis on research potential. In addition to satisfying the admission requirements of The Graduate School, applicants are expected to have a baccalaureate degree in computer science, computer engineering, or a closely related field with at least a 3.00 GPA. Applicants should have completed courses in algorithmic design, data structures, computer organization, analysis of algorithms, operating systems, discrete mathematics, and calculus. Applicants not having courses in all of these subjects may be admitted conditionally while they take the remaining ones. Any required prerequisite courses are an integral part of the student's degree program and must be completed before any graduate degree will be awarded.

In addition to satisfying the admission requirements of The Graduate School, applicants for the Master of Software Engineering program are expected to have a baccalaureate degree in computer science, computer engineering, computer information systems, management information systems, or a closely related field with at least a 3.00 GPA. Applicants should also have at least one year of experience in software development or maintenance. Students not having adequate experience in software development or maintenance will be required to take CSCE 793 Internship in Software Engineering as a prerequisite that must be completed before the degree will be awarded.

Applicants to all degree programs should submit an official transcript from each school or college previously attended, at least two letters of recommendation, and scores on the GRE.

The average GRE scores of the accepted applicants for fall 2002 were: verbal 539, quantitative 720, and analytical 668. Applicants whose native language is not English are also required to submit a satisfactory score on the TOEFL or the University of Cambridge's IELTS Academic Course Type 2 exam. The minimum acceptable score on the TOEFL is 230 (computer-based) or 570 (paper-based). The minimum acceptable overall band score on the IELTS Academic Course Type 2 exam is 6.5. The admissions committee will evaluate all aspects of each application and will make a recommendation on admission to The Graduate School. All application materials must be received by March 1 for fall and summer admission and by October 1 for spring admission.

Academic Standards

All students are expected to meet the academic standards of The Graduate School. In addition, students who accumulate grades less than B in 12 hours of required graduate courses or undergraduate courses will be suspended from enrollment in their degree program and not permitted to enroll in any further courses within the department.

Degree Requirements

Master of Engineering in Computer Science and Engineering

The professional Master of Engineering degree in computer science and engineering requires 30 hours of course work beyond the B.S. This course work must include CSCE 513, CSCE 531, CSCE 750, and an additional 12 hours in CSCE courses numbered 700 and above. A maximum of six hours in non-CSCE courses and at most three hours of CSCE 798 may be applied toward the degree. CSCE 797 may not be applied toward the degree.

Master of Science in Computer Science and Engineering

The Master of Science degree in computer science and engineering requires 24 hours of course work beyond the B.S., 6 hours of thesis preparation (CSCE 799), and a thesis. This course work must include CSCE 513, CSCE 531, CSCE 750, and an additional 12 hours in CSCE courses numbered 700 or above. A maximum of 6 hours in non-CSCE courses and at most 3 hours of CSCE 798 may be applied toward the degree. CSCE 797 may not be applied toward the degree. The student must defend the thesis in a public presentation.

Master of Software Engineering

For students having adequate experience in software development or maintenance, the M.S.E. degree requires 30 hours of course work consisting of 15 hours in required software engineering courses, 15 hours of elective courses from an approved list, and satisfactory completion of a comprehensive software engineering exam. Students must also submit a report on some aspect of software engineering that demonstrates mastery of the subject and a high level of communication skills. The required core courses for the M.S.E. program are CSCE 740, 741, 742, 743, and 747. The approved list of electives is: CSCE 510, 512, 515, 516, 520, 522, 547, 721, 723, 725, 744, 745, 767, 782, 821, 822, 826, and 846 and MGSC 872. Students not having one year of experience in software development or maintenance will be required to take CSCE 793 Internship in Software Engineering as a prerequisite that must be completed before the degree will be awarded.

Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science and Engineering

Requirements for the Ph.D. degree in computer science and engineering fall into four categories: course requirements, the qualifying examination, the comprehensive examination, and the dissertation. Students who enter the program with a bachelor's degree must complete a minimum of 48 credit hours or graduate course work (excluding CSCE 799 and 899) and 12 hours of dissertation preparation (CSCE 899). Of the 48 hours, at least 24 must be in CSCE courses numbered 700 or above. The student's dissertation committee must approve the program of study, so this committee should be formed as early in a student's course of study as possible.

Prior to admission to candidacy, the student is required to pass a written qualifying examination. This examination is designed to test fundamental knowledge and conceptual understanding of the mainstream areas of computer science and engineering.

The Ph.D. comprehensive examination combines a written and an oral examination and seeks to discover whether the student has a sufficiently deep understanding of topics in the area of interest to carry out the proposed research. The written examination consists of two portions: the core, including architecture, algorithms, and compiler construction; and the research area of the student. The core portion is constructed and graded by the faculty as a whole. The dissertation committee, which also will make the final decision on whether the student has passed, constructs the research component. The oral examination is an in-depth test on the subject matter related to the student's dissertation topic and written exam. The committee may also examine the student on any other material it deems relevant. After completing the research and writing the dissertation, the student must defend the work in a public presentation.

Certificate of Graduate Studies in Information Assurance and Security

The graduate certificate program in information assurance and security requires at least 18 hours of graduate study, at least half of which must be courses at the 700 level or above with the CSCE designator, completed within a period of six years before the award of the certificate. The 18 hours must include the three core courses: CSCE 522 Information Security Principles, CSCE 715 Network Systems Security, and CSCE 727 Information Warfare. At least 9 hours of additional courses must be selected with the approval of the director of graduate studies. Up to 6 hours of appropriate courses may be taken from other departments and/or by transfer credit.

Bachelor's/Master's Accelerated Program

A combined B.S./M.S. or B.S./M.E. degree program is available to undergraduate students in computer science and engineering with 90 or more hours earned toward their baccalaureate degrees. Students accepted into this program must have a minimum overall GPA of 3.40 and at least 3.40 in the course work taken in computer science and engineering. Up to 9 credit hours above the 500 level may be applied toward both the B.S. and M.S. or M.E. degree requirements. The approval of the students advisor and the graduate director is required. Questions about this program should be directed to the graduate director.

Course Descriptions (CSCE)

500 -- Computer Programming and Applications. (3) Concepts and properties of algorithms; programming exercises with emphasis on good programming habits. Credit may not be received for both CSCE 500 and CSCE 145. Open to all majors. May not be used for major credit by computer science and engineering majors.

551 -- Theory of Computation. {=MATH 562} (3) (Prereq: CSCE 350 or MATH 526 or 544 or 574) Basic theoretical principles of computing as modeled by formal languages and automata; computability and computational complexity. Major credit may not be received for both CSCE 355 and CSCE 551.

590 -- Topics in Information Technology. (3) Reading and research on selected topics in information technology. Course content varies and will be announced in the schedule of courses by suffix and title. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.

790 -- Topics in Information Technology. (1-3) Reading and research on selected topics in information technology. Course content varies and will be announced in the schedule of courses by suffix and title. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.

791 -- Seminar in Computer Science Research. (1) Major computing research areas technical writing and presentations; ethics in research and writing; support tools, including text formatting systems, text analysis tools, and software development tools.